Pulchritudinous or Unprepossessing?
by rain.purifies.the.soul
Summary: Ino is about to discover love in the last place she would have ever considered through delving into the peripheral installments of a person. She realizes it only causes complications when it is the inner person that matters.


She brushed her long blonde tresses as she gazed impassively at her reflection. The girl was vaguely aware of her blurry outline as she considered her position. Sakura, her stepsister, fooled around with several boys whom measured themselves up to the respectable image of a man. _How pitiful they are._

On the other hand, her adoptive brother, Naruto, was distanced, hyperactive, and just impossible to be around. Ino often wondered how he and Sakura could be as close as they were. As far as they were concerned, Ino was a third wheel and habitually spoke of her as if she were a third wheel or as if she were non existent and frequently left her to her materialistic processions. _Honestly, what else am I supposed to turn to? Our parents are always gone on business trips, for goodness sakes._

Putting on her high school uniform, Yamanaka Ino stepped out of her room. Sakura and Naruto were waiting impatiently at the door. Sakura's luscious pink locks were pulled into a high ponytail and her body was clad in her typical blue jeans and red t shirt. Naruto was wearing an oversized orange hoodie and similar wash pants. Ino pulled on her shoes quickly.

"Honestly, Ino," Sakura started, chewing her gum rather loudly before blowing a bubble, "I don't know why you go to a private school. I mean, wouldn't it be better to not to wear that uniform?"

"Yeah," Naruto continued for the pinkette, "It makes you look like some superior geek, especially with those LONG braids."

Ino's eyes narrowed though she didn't say anything to the obnoxious boy. His idea of beauty was _cleary_ off center anyways. Briskly stepping past her two housemates, Ino stepped out of the door silently. After all, they obviously didn't understand that private schools looked better on a college application. Not only that, but there was less bullying, and the art of individuality was expressed by natural beauty, not who had the best clothes. And Ino believed she was one of the most gorgeous creatures to co-exist. Besides, Sakura and Naruto typically got a higher allowance for clothes anyways since they chose a school based around physical individuality.

----

Arriving at her school, Ino went to place her dark brown penny loafers in her locker to exchange them for the sanitary white ones that absolutely _everyone_ was required to wear.

The day went by as usual – silent and most kept to themselves. Chouji, an acquaintance of hers, mentioned something about a group date if she might possibly have some free time right after school. Though she wasn't particularly fond of the obese classmate, she blindly agreed, hoping to keep away from her siblings as well as meet some hot guys. As Chouji scribbled down directions to the karaoke bar, Ino felt something blossoming in her stomach. _Perhaps I'll meet people I actually want to be around with actual grace and talent, unlike Sakura and Naruto._

----

She arrived at INABA quickly after her English class ended. After waiting for about ten minutes, the pretty blonde began to think she'd been set up. But when she was about to walk away, someone grabbed her arm rather brusquely.

"Oi," the voice started, indolent and jaded, "Are you here for Akimichi Chouji's group revelry? He said something about a blonde with long hair."

"Yes," Ino found herself saying without even looking at the person attached to her arm,

"As a matter of fact, I am. But, seeing as he's not here, I'm leaving."

"No need," the voice alleged curtly, "They've already gone inside. We're just late. Damn, I didn't even want to come. Then, I just _had_ to be blackmailed by my so called best friend."

For the first time, Ino looked back at the boy. He was wearing dark clothing and appeared to be a gangster of sorts. _Oh my god. He is sooo UGLY. Gross. Why does he have so many pimples? And why such a dorky tussock?_

Ino remained baffled as the boy dragged her through the doors and to what room number she presumed he'd been told this 'date' was taking place. The girl paled even more when she saw Sakura placed quite perkily in the middle of two first-rate looking, black haired teenagers.

"Ah, Shikamaru! Ino!" Chouji laughed whole heartedly, "You two finally made it!"

"Don't get so full of yourself," 'Shikamaru' as Ino had just found out, sat next to the corpulent redhead, "Who was the one who blackmailed who again?"

The blonde herself was still gaping at Sakura, wondering just how the other girl always seemed to be around the good looking boys. Ino, almost timidly took a seat next to another girl with sandy blonde hair, who seemed to be eyeing the boy to Sakura's left.

Another girl, with cheery brown eyes gazed at Chouji questioningly.

She spoke bluntly, "Chouji, this sucks. Nobody is doing anything. That bitch over there," she indicated to Sakura, "already has fifty percent of the available men. And they're the attractive ones to boot."

Shikamaru and Chouji both winced slightly, Ino noted. _Well, at least they know where they stand._

Ino later found out that the sandy blonde was named Temari and she was interested in Sasuke, whom appeared to be gazing in her direction fairly repeatedly. The other boy Sakura had in her grasp was named Sai and he only seemed to be interested in himself. Tenten, the other girl, had no interest whatsoever in any men present.

"Temari, this is a bust," she said candidly, "Why did we come again?"

"Well," the other blonde muttered, "I owed Shikamaru over there a favor and it appears that Chouji seduced him into inviting us somehow."

Ino choked on the lemonade she'd been sipping. Her line of vision quickly went to the two boys, "You guys are gay?"

Shikamaru scowled darkly, "No, my best female friend uses _one_ occurrence against me. And that happened when I was five."

Chouji, who seemed ghastly at the accusation simply shook his head, "No, Ino."

Sakura laughed in what Ino could only assume as triumph, "So pig, how many of these have you been to?" The blonde growled slightly as the green orbed girl continued, "I've been to these so many times that I've lost count. Boys don't like you because you're covetous and into yourself."

"So, you put other people down to make yourself feel better?" Shikamaru interrupted

idly, "How chivalrous of you."

"Oh, don't get full of yourself, you fatalistic, unattractive freak!" Sakura shot back standing up, "I'm leaving. Sai, honey? Come with me?"

"Alright," the paler boy of the two Sakura was sandwiched between said as he stood and wrapped his arm around the pink haired girl's waist was they walked out the door.

Shikamaru merely sighed and slouched back in his seat, "Chouji, if I'd known that most of these people would be from my school, I wouldn't have come."

Chouji shrugged apologetically, "Ino's the only person who bothers to talk to me. Who else was I supposed to invite?"

They both turned to the blonde in question. She was ineptly twiddling her fingers and looking fondly at Sasuke.

"Oh great," Shikamaru groaned, "_Another_ Uchiha fan girl. More competition for Temari."

"Agreed," Chouji whispered, watching the two blondes closely.

With her interest in the quietest of the three boys piqued, Ino approached Sasuke,

"Hello."

"Hn," he muttered back, glaring at her defiantly, "What do you want."

"Um," Ino blurted out before she could stop herself. Plus, in spite of herself, she sounded

self righteous, "What is my sister to you?"

"Oh? That loathsome girl dragged me here," he said, passing Ino's interest off as concern for the pinkette.

Ino felt her stomach flutter. So Sakura hadn't corrupted this particular boy yet. _How perfect._

"Well, do you want to be friends then?" the blonde mumbled quickly.

"I have no use for them," Sasuke shot back, now eyeing her wearily, and Ino's feelings

for him dwindled just like that.

"No, no," Ino laughed cheerfully, "Only friends. Promise."

"Hn," he resumed ignoring everybody in the confined area.

Temari snarled a bit and turned away from Ino. "What a bitch," she whispered to

Shikamaru.

"I suppose you want me to do something about it," the brunette drawled back carelessly.

"Yes," the sandy blonde hissed defensively, "She's stealing _my _man."

Shikamaru sighed, "What would you like me to do Temari?"

"Oh, I don't know. Kiss her. Ask her out. Keep her _away_ from the epitome of all male sexiness!"

"How bothersome," Shikamaru sighed and stood, cracking his back before heading over to Ino.

Grabbing her wrist, he dragged her out of the room. Seemingly oblivious to her screams and rants of protest, the russet haired teenager didn't stop, even as the blonde tried to tank her arm out of his grasp.

Shoving her into the brick wall outside of the building itself, Shikamaru brought his face close to Ino's, "Listen up. Sasuke belongs to Temari. He's _off limits_. Do you understand?"

"Who are you to tell me that?" Ino asked as she glared at him defiantly.

"I'm Temari's best friend," Shikamaru grumbled, pushing her further into the wall, "It's my _job_ to keep you away from her love interests at _all_ times."

Ino gawped at him, "That's ridiculous! All's fair in love and war!"

And then Shikamaru kissed her. It was chaste, swift, and didn't seem like it even happened at all. Regardless, she knew the kiss had transpired. The second his lips departed from hers, he was gone, and she was left trembling against the bricks.

---

"So did it go good with the uglies?" Sakura asked snidely as Ino heaved herself through the door, blindly slipping of her shoes and leaving them sloppily by the doorway. She marched straight past the pink haired girl and into her bedroom, promptly shutting the door behind her.

Falling into her bed, the blonde let her tears free, "My first kiss with somebody like _him_. Sakura and Naruto would never let me live it down."

Curling into a ball, Ino wondered if she was ever going to have to deal with that boy again. She brought her hand shakily to her lips, smoothing her fingertips over her lower lip carefully.

"He's going to die the next time I seem him!" Ino declared, yanking the covers firmly over her head.


End file.
